


September 15th: Dark

by Oricalle



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Shin Monshou no Nazo | Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
Genre: Angst, Archanea Week, Character Study, Drabble, Gen, Possession, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 08:35:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20654279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oricalle/pseuds/Oricalle
Summary: The burden of the crown weighs heavy on Emperor Hardin.





	September 15th: Dark

Emperor Hardin had known war for nearly his entire life. The plains of Aurelis were a harsh place, full of snarling beasts and warring clans, and many of its citizens did not live to see their eighteenth year. A common saying amongst the tribesmen was that a true Aurelian “lived with speed”, coursing forth on a steed with weapon in hand towards a foe, living and dying by moments rather than decades.

Perhaps, he pondered, that was why peacetime seemed so ill-suited to him.

He had felt safer on the run, with Dolhr’s forces close behind, than here, where scheming nobles and ancient traditions held knives to his throat and wrapped chains around his ankles. There was no freedom in these dark stone walls, and the feeling was suffocating.

The weight of the crown was meant to be a shared burden, he had been told, divided between him and his queen. However, no matter what he did, Nyna offered no comfort, no shoulder to lean on. It was as if she was in another world, and it made him furious.

Anger coursed through his veins, pulsing out in hues of deep violet and crisp black and making the underside of his skin itch. His vision blurred, crimson flooding the edges of the room, and he could feel his teeth starting to grind together.

_What would it take to make her love him?_

“My liege?”

A tepid knock sounded at his chamber door, and the fury that had embraced the emperor sank back into the shadows, just for a moment.

“Enter, Roshea.”

The young paladin pushed open the oaken door, shadow falling across his face as he moved from the torchlit hall into the moonlit darkness of the emperor’s chambers. “A message has arrived for you, my Emperor.”

Roshea’s voice was filled with an odd tremolo, one Hardin rarely heard in the rider. He’d known Roshea since the rider was barely able to sit on a horse, what could have been disturbing him? Was there really a message at all? Why had Roshea come in person? Was there a knife in the dark, waiting for him to drop his guard to slice through the fabric of his robes and into his heart? Gouging and thrusting and ripping and slicing and there wasn’t a reason to risk it, he had to start wearing his armor to bed and double locking the door and searching his visitors personally and

Something in Hardin’s heart was screaming, but he couldn’t hear. Carefully, he turned around and snatched a bit parchment from Roshea’s hands, leery of the way his old friend seemed to snap back into a rigid salute. He cast his eyes over the royal Altean seal that decorated the exterior of the letter, a vibrant blue wax marking that was here intertwined with the seafoam green of Talys’ markings. Hardin could have guessed the letter’s contents by that alone, but he flipped it over and read on.

“Your Majesty, Emperor Hardin,

We would like to cordially invite Your Majesty to the wedding of Hero King Marth of Altea and Princess Caeda of Talys, to be held in Altea Castle on the Fourth Day of the Wyvern Moon.

Your presence, as well as that of the lady Nyna’s, accompanied by whatever guests Your Highness sees fit, shall be most welcome to enjoy the festivities and celebrate the union of these young lovers.

Awaiting your response,  
Duke Malledus of Altea”

As he scanned the final word, Hardin felt his fists clench in confusion. Prince Marth and Princess Caeda were stalwart and valiant allies in the war against Dolhr, and he had often held a grin as he watched the young prince stumble over his feelings. For all the wisdom and strength that Marth held, he was still inexperienced in the ways of the world, and Hardin had often given him advice. Yet that fondness at recalling the lovers seemed to have faded, and the looping ink on the letter only made the emperor’s fists clench harder. A single phrase seemed to stare back at him.

“Hero King Marth”

As always, it was Marth whose achievements were recognized. The commonfolk chanted his name as he passed, and several cities had begun to erect statues of him from the ruins of Dolhrian fortresses. The story of the returning prince, fighting his way across the continent and through swarms of vicious foes, was simply too captivating.

No one told stories of Hardin and his Wolfguard crawling through the dirt to evade Dolhrian detection.

No statues were raised in honor of the man who had first ferried Nyna to safety, who had spilled his own blood for the good of the crown and country before the Altean dregs had even joined the war.

But Hardin could live with that, he had long ago come to terms with his role in the war. It had even been partially his own suggestion, the image of a fresh-faced young man empowered by destiny serving as a compelling symbol for the Archanean League.

What truly enraged him was the way Nyna spoke of him. The way her eyes looked far away and her voice softened as she gave the Altean king the praise and affection her own husband was evidently unworthy of. Marth, Hardin had slowly realized, had not been satisfied with only stealing the hearts of his people.

The wretch wanted to steal the heart of his wife.

Hardin looked back to Roshea, and his subordinate inhaled sharply, raising his hand in the Archanean salute.

“Leave me, Roshea, I have much to consider.”

“Yes, my Emperor.”

Alone once more, Hardin found clarity. The letter, of course, was a mockery. The arrogant king was simply flaunting his good fortune, showing Hardin that his companion loved him, fully aware that the emperor’s did not.

As he tried to picture Marth’s sneer of derision, something deep within him pushed back. Images of the War of Shadows flickered in the peripheries of Hardin’s vision, memories of a time he had fought side by side with his rival. Not once had he seen Prince Marth engage in something so petty. There had to be an explanation for this.

What was happening to him?

Before the internal division could take him over, though, a jingling melody reached his ears. Muffled, distorted, but still sweet, reminding him of simpler times and happier surroundings. He followed the noise to his wardrobe, swiftly wrenching it open.

The moon gave off a soft glow in the distance, but it was nothing compared to the way the violet orb nestled in the wardrobe shone. The light was soothing, warm, and only meant for him. As he held it, he felt the dissent inside of his mind melt away.

He was right.

He was wise.

He was strong.

He was righteous.

Of course Marth was plotting against him. Everyone was plotting against him now. He could only trust himself, and it was power that would carry him to a brighter future. It mattered not if the rest of the continent saw him as a monster, he would scrub it clean of traitors and liars. It was only he who could see the true potential of the future. If the “Hero King” stood in his way, he would fall, just like the rest.

Between Hardin’s palms, the darksphere hummed.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Archanea Week 2019!
> 
> This is my first time ever doing something like this and I'm, uh, nervous? But nothing gets done if you don't try to do it, so here we go!
> 
> I'm going to try and get a drabble out for as many days as I can. I adore the Archanea games and really want to get more content out for them. Sorry if you were looking for more Luck Of The Draw or Broken Blade, I'll get back to them but right now it's Marth Hours.
> 
> I've always liked to imagine that the Darksphere corrupted Hardin by taking advantage of his internal jealousy and letting it balloon out of control, so that's what I focused on here.
> 
> Feedback is welcome as always!


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